I felt weird. Not because I sympathized with her at the time, nor because I regretted knocking down my mace at the time. I felt somehow uncomfortable and congested.
«You don't look good. Do you know that girl?».
I shook my head at Amelia's question and asked something I had been curious about. «What happens to those children when they become adults?».
«They become explorers».
«Is there no other way? Like working in the castle or something».
«It's impossible. That's the promise those kids made, to work under the castle lord in the first place.»
«Promise?»
«In exchange for raising them, they do what they are told».
I was stunned. «Is leaving them all the trivial work and using them as bait for looting raising them?».
«Children who survive hell grow up strong».
As soon as I heard that, the words that the chief of the tribe had once said to me came to mind.
«You should know. Only warriors who survive become strong warriors».
It was a similar context, an environment structured in such a way that one had no choice but to become strong to survive. The lord of the castle deliberately placed these children in that environment.
«Still, apart from when they are young and serve as bait, the mortality rate continues to decline. The same goes for treating the child on the assigned team», Amelia continues. After surviving about three years as a decoy, their qualifications were recognized and they began to learn to use weapons. Furthermore, apparently, during hunts they were given unclaimed essences. «Children who submit to that lifestyle become useful fighters as soon as they become adults».
«What if they want to quit when they are adults?»
«That won't happen. They receive a constant ideological education from a young age. When they become adults, they become servants more loyal to their lord than anyone else.»
«But what if they still reconsider and want to resign?».
Amelia frowned at my insistence and then said: «The corrections begin. So that they become loyal again». I was speechless. «Don't worry too much. No child submits to the lord of the castle without knowing it».
The conversation ended there, but I kept thinking. How long did the player who entered Jencia Nephrin's body have to spend? Well, maybe it wasn't that bad. In Noark they did not kill evil spirits mercilessly.
Although they didn't let them roam freely either.
From the castle lord's point of view, an evil spirit would have resided in the body of a talent he had been raising with leftover essences for several years. Whoever the resident evil spirit was, the lord of the castle would have done everything possible to keep Jencia living the same life, even if that required a slightly stronger correction.
Anyway, whether his identity was exposed or not, he would have had to start looting from the beginning. So treating everyone like NPCs instead of people might have actually been a defense mechanism... Wait, why am I curious about this? Stop thinking.
That's when I stopped thinking. I didn't care what environment that player had to survive in. That woman tried to kill me.
Yeah, so... I just did what I had to do. That's all there is.
Ugh, organizing it like that made me feel less stretched.
«What are you doing, Amelia? Let's go. We have to do our job.»
«I'm a barbarian!»
Shaking off unpleasant emotions, I continued fishing for looters using the profound principle of Calling the Bad. A few more days passed like this. It was when he was organizing the team of another team of looters, as usual.
«Oh, another subspace ring».
Rumble…
«...Eh?» As soon as I looked up in confusion, the ground shook as if an earthquake had occurred. To be honest, I was very baffled. I didn't think about this scenario.
¡Booooom!
A crack was created on the third floor.
A crack opening in the floor we entered was a little sudden, but not particularly surprising. It was something that could happen during any exploration. The problem was, why now?
We had not entered the maze to undertake a normal exploration. There were no essences for me in the third floor crack either. My essence points were already full, so it was impossible to eat one unless it also erased the Corpse Golem essence.
Didn't he have a numbered object and a crack stone? Those couldn't be brought back twenty years in the past anyway.
Well, the money from that will be useful to survive here, but... Stop getting ahead of yourself and check it first.
I quickly put an end to my worries. The fact that a crack opened and being able to enter it were two different issues.
«Amelia, the location».
Talented guides could determine the location of a crack once created. So where did this crack form? If the nearest portal was several hours away running, we wouldn't be able to enter it no matter what we did, so there was no need to even worry.
«Five minutes north.»
What the hell, it's right under our noses. I should have said it from the beginning.
The last time a crack formed on the fifth floor it was in a completely different district, so we had to admit defeat.
«What are you doing?! Come on!» I screamed with the excitement of starting to run immediately.
Amelia asked dryly: «Do you want to come in?».
Obviously. If you can get into a crack, it's always best to do so. Essences, objects, whatever, there are experience points that are only acquired in a crack... No, wait.
«Amelia, have you been inside the crack on the third floor?»
«Once before.»
Therefore, she already ate the experience points here. No wonder she had no enthusiasm.
«Not me! Come on!
«…»
«We have obtained the favor of the lord of the castle! It won't change just because we don't bring a little more loot!»
«But if something goes wrong in the crack...»
«Won't! And we are comrades! Help me this time! I'll collect the achievement points and leave!»
«...Okay, follow me». Amelia sighed after a moment of silence and quickly began to lead the way.
She was sure she hadn't changed her mind over the word «comrade». He probably only judged that it was better to endure a few days of disgust than to antagonize his collaborator. She was a woman who valued rationality in many aspects.
Surprisingly he works well with barbarians.
Lacking emotions, a barbarian's ignorant plea worked well with Amelia. For this woman, it would be more reasonable to do this for me than to continue being bothered all the time.
Anyway, as we continued running, the portal became within our visual reach.
«Yandel, think this one last time...»
Think what?
«¡Behell-ahhhhhhh!»
I rushed towards him without hesitation.
¡Flash!
When I opened my eyes, we were inside a pure white temple. The ceiling was high enough to jump for joy. White marble columns and a hundred stone statues stretched along the edge of the wall.
Since there was no one there, I guess we went in first.
Once I confirmed that there were no other explorers, I slowly looked around. More than confirming where I was, I did it out of pure curiosity. That was because there was only one crack on the third floor. It was the Temple of a Hundred Colors, a temple that contained a hundred colors. It was also a place to drop by once during a match, because the supply of experience points was enormous.
«Yandel, do you know this place?»
«To some extent».
«Then I don't need to explain it to you».
The Temple of a Hundred Colors had three characteristics. First, elite monsters that did not appear in normal fields, such as Corpse Golems. No matter what you captured, you could take the first death point whenever it was your first time here. Secondly, it was not a cooperative raid like normal rifts. The participants had to compete against each other. Only one team could enter the boss room. If the team that came in first failed, then another team had a chance.
But that didn't mean Amelia and I had to compete alone with the other teams. The third characteristic: when a crack was created, a total of five portals opened on that floor, and those who entered through the same portal became a team. This was the most difficult part of the game. It was a fact. What if you found a crack while working in a five-person team and discovered that two people were inside first?
Two characters from the team would be left behind, like this scout team that just entered.
«…¿Eh?»
«Damn, there was already a participant.»
The portal in the air spat out three scouts and closed. It seemed that his companions had been left out.
«Oh no! Lemud and Hans did not enter!»
Well.
«Calm down! They may be separated from us, but Lemud and Hans should be able to hold out on the third floor without us!». Soon, the human swordsman calmed his panicked companions and approached us. «Nice to meet you. Have you come together?»
«Sí, ¿y?»
The man laughed heartily even at Amelia's abruptness. «Haha, we'll be together for a while. Since it is destiny that we have found ourselves like this, let us introduce ourselves first. I'm Carlton Drek».
«Emily.»
«Bjon.»
When Amelia and I revealed our pseudonyms, Carlton asked cautiously: «Bjon, are you a barbarian?».
It was a natural suspicion. After all, I was in full sheet metal gear right now. Since he was covered in sheet iron from head to toe, it was impossible to check whether he had a tattoo or not.
«And what does that matter?»
When I asked stubbornly, Carlton apologized. «I'm sorry. I was just curious, but I see how rude it may sound to you».
He seems to think I'm a big human. True, it is especially narrow-minded people who react sensitively to these trivial questions.
Anyway, when we revealed our names, the male fairy watching from behind called Carlton. «Carlton, can you come over for a moment?»
I can not hear.
They whispered something between themselves. It seemed like they were discussing something.
«They're calling us suspects».
«¿Eh?»
«I can only hear what is being said from this distance. Without magic, of course».
«... ¿Ya veo?»
So I had good hearing. I never knew that. He should be careful not to whisper in front of her.
«So what are they saying? They seem serious».
The content of the conversation intercepted by Amelia was as follows:
The male fairy pointed out the peculiarities. «They only revealed their names casually. Also, the fact that there are only two of them on the third floor on the thirteenth day. They could be looters. One even has one's face covered».
Carlton replied: «Yes, but there is no other way. We can't stab them in the back because they are suspicious. Let's not show it yet and find out what kind of people they are on the fly».
Did the discussion end like this?
«Ah! Sorry! My friend was worried about the companions we left behind». Carlton laughed heartily and approached us. He then revealed the names of the other two and gave them a chance to introduce themselves.
«Now, this fairy tribe man is-«
«Stop, I'll do it. Eimbern Berta García. As you can see, the bow is my specialty». Eimbern ended his presentation by briefly revealing his main weapon and his name. It seemed like he didn't want to give us any more information.
Anyway, next was the barbarian warrior. «Hahaha! Nice to meet you all!» Like a barbarian, the warrior was unable to join the whispering conversation of his two companions and approached us with a bright smile. Without raising the slightest guard, he showed up. «I am Yandel, Jarku's third son!».
"...¿Which?"
My mind went blank as soon as I heard that. If I hadn't heard it wrong...
«Oh, is it a little difficult for humans? Just call me Yandel Jarku!»
It meant he was my biological father.